Mine-skip loader



L. LAwToN. MIN SKIP LOADER.

APILICATION FILED JUNE 8 192|.

- Patented May 9, 192.2.

l INVENTOR A oRNEY- a SHEETS-SHEET C. l." LAWTUN.

MINE SKIP LOADER. APPLICATION fiLED JUNE 8,1921. 1,1415, 181 4 'Patented May 9, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOK if /f/ C. L. LAWTUN.

MINE SKIP LOADERl APPLICATION r|LED1uNEa,1921. l 1,41 5 181 Patented May 9, 1922.

6mm/ MM A ORNEY.

TES

i si' CHARLES L. LAWTON, OF HANCOCK, MICHIGAN.

. MINE-SKIP LOADER.

Specification of Letterslatent..

Patented May` 9, 1922.

VVAppIeation led June 8, 1921. Serial No. 475,866.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. LAwfroN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Hancock, in the county of Houghton and State of Michigan, have invented anew and Improved; Mine-Skip Loader, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for tipping-up mine skips so that they may'be readily loaded, and its object is to provide manually controlled means whereby the mine skips may be caused to assume proper loading position at the desired loading station through the action of track-sections which'are moved into operative positions to receive the upper wheels of the skip after the lower wheels Ahave passed such sections.

This invention consists, in combination with an inclined two-rail track on which four-wheeled mine skips are adapted to run, of auxiliary track sections normally out of the path of the wheels` of the skips, but which are adapted to be moved into position to cause the upper wheels of the skipsvv to move out from the main track so as to cause the skip to assume a more uprightposition. It further lconsistsin an arm adapted` to Swingin the lpath of the lower end of the skip and in mechanism connecting the arm and the auxiliary track sections whereby saidarm, when swung by the, lower end of the skip engaging therewith, moves the .auxiliary track sections into the path of they upper-wheelsof the skip so as to cause suchupper wheels to travel out from the main track. Y y

It also consists. in` manually operable means for causing the control arm` to hang in the path' of the lower end of the skip so that-,the auxiliary track sections will be ymoved into the paths of the upper wheels of the skips.

It also consistsin the details of construction illustrated in the accompanyingpdrawl ings and particularly `Vpolnted out in the` claims. Y

In the accompanying; drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of mine timbering ata loading station vand the skip controlling mechanism at 'that station. Fig. 2is a plan of the skip controlling mechanism. i Fig. 3v is an elevation of this mechanism on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is asimilar elevation of a modied type .of controlling mechanism. Fig. 5j'is a planof the .track at the' loading station.

ing open upper ends with two wheels von Y each side. These skips are connected to the ends of wire cables which are wound up on great hoisting drums driven by powerful engines. Indicators of various kinds show the' location of the skips in the mine to the engineers on the surface so` that the skips may be stopped at any desired level in the mineA to bethere loaded rom the ore bins.

This work is often diiiicult when the angle of the track tothe horizontal is not large andthemechanism shown inthe accompanying drawings is designed to swing the skips to nearly vertical position so that the ore may be freely discharged into the open upper end of the skip until it is properly loaded. l

In Figs.-1, 2 and 3, I have shown the cross ties 1, stringers 2 and rails 3 as well as the mine` timbers 4. The ore bin 5 has a discharge spout 6l supported by the posts 7 resting ony the. side timbers 8 and 9. Braces 10 vare shown extending from these side timbers to the stringers 2, but these timbers are merely illustrative as they must be adapted tothe various mine shafts and ore chambers. However, the braces 10 and side timbers 8 will usually befound desirable.

The. skips 12 have an open upper end, a balelpivoted to the sides at 14 and connected to the cable 15, and, sideV wheels 16 adapted to run on the rails 3. Auxiliary rails 18 are mounted on the pins 19 carried by the brackets20y which are secured to the braces 10. Boxes 23 attached to the side timbers 9l carry the shaft 24 on which the operating arm 25 is rigidly mounted. Attached to one end of this shaft 24 is a coun- 2 9. having Vaslidable engagement and a handle 28 at` the upper end of the part 29 by which lthis,counterweight may be lifted.

Y, On the operating arm 25 is a pin 30 f loading` the skip.

adapted to be engaged by the hooked arm 32 connected to the arm attached to the shaft 34 mounted in the bearings 35 which are attached to the side timbers 9. A pair of arms 36 connected to the shaft 34 connect to the counterweight ends 37 of the auxiliary rails 18 by means of the links 38.V TheV operation of this device is as follows.

The counterweight 26 is sufliciently heavy to hold the operating arm 25 in position shown in Fig-. 1, when the skip can travel under it without contact, which is necessary when ore is being` hoisted from lower levels. l-hen the skip is to be loaded at the bin shown in the drawings, the handle 28, rod 29 and counterweight 26 are raised by hand vand Vthe shaft 24`isturned and the arm 25 counterweight ends 37 rof the auxiliary tracks 18 to the dotted line position shown in 8, the vupper ends'of these tracks 18 ybeing brought into contact with the rails 3.

Asindicated in Fig. 3, this occurs just vbefore the upper wheels ofy thel skip reach these tracks 18, but when these wheelsv do reach these tracks, these upper wheels run out on these trackacarrying the upperlopen end of the skip toposition under the spout 6. At the same time the lowerend of the skip i swings in and comes to Vrest on the bumper 391 l/Vhen the front wheels of the skip run lonto vthe tracks 18 `and the Skip Vswings back the arm 25, the hooked arm 32 is disengaged by the arm whichpermits the counterweight 26 toswing the arm 25 out of the path oit the skip.- y

illhen trie skip is drawn up, the front wheels run oii the tracks18 onto the rails 8, and the counterweights 87' Vot these tracks immediately swing them out of thepaths of the wheels ci' the j skipsV lt is therefore possible to stop these skips at exactly, the desired4 position at each vloading station y equipped with this controlling mechanism.'A

' `The details and proportions of this con- Y struction may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as set Jforth in the `following Claims, Thus, instead ot'havingthe auX- iliary tracks pivoted on'horisontal pins supported bythe braces 10, substantiallyv horizontal beams 40 in Figs. 4 vand 5 ,are shown extending' from the braces 10 to the stringers 2. @n these beams are the plates 41 havying inclined slots 42 through which the pins 43 extend. `When these plates are moved to the right in Figs., land 5, these plates are moved inwardly across the notches 44 in these beams 40 until the inner edges of these plates are inalinement with the inner sides ci the rails 3, at which point the ends of these plates resten the rails. The operation ofv the control 25 is the same as before described, but the crank arm 46 extends down 'from the shaft 34 and the-links 47 are pushed toward the rails wher'easthe link 38 is pulled away from the track. This movement of the track plates-41 occurs just after the lower 'wheels of the skip have passed. The plates are returned in any desired manner, springs 48 being shown. y

1n Figs. 7 and 8 lhave shown beams 50 extendingirom the braces 10 tothe stringers 2 and these beams have notches 51 to permit the skip wheels to pass.l Plates 52 are hinged along their outer edgesy and are normally 'held vertical out et the paths of these skip wheels. Bell crank levers53 are mounted on pivots 54 on the inner sides of the beams Qand connectto the crank arms 36 by means o'E the links 55 and to theA arms 56 kon the plates 52 by means of the links 57. The arms 86 are swung in the manner above described after the lower wheels of the skips have passed the notches 51 in the beams 50, to bring the plates 52 down liat ontothe beams 50 and with their adjacent endsresting on the rails 3. As soon as the skip has started up, `the armsV 25 swing' down and permit the plates 52 to be'swung up tothe position shown in Fig. 8, `either r'by the weight of the links 57 and'arrns 56 or by the lower wheels 'ofthe skip. l A

1 claim if 1. 1n combinationlwiththe main'rails of -an inclined track for four wheeled skips,

an operating arm adapted to swing intothe path of a descending skip, a'pair of auX- iliary rails adapted to be positioned to -eX- tend at an angle to the main rails, and connections between'the operating armA and the auxiliary rails to move them intofthe paths of the upper wheelsFoi the skip when the actuating arm Ais swungby a'descendingskip. Y Y v 2.v 1n combination with the main rai-ls of -an inclined trackfor four wheeledskip'sran operating arm adapted to swing into Ythe path of a descending skip, a'pair'of auxiliary Y rails adapted to be'positioned to extend at an angle tothe main rails, connections between the operating armrand theauxiliary rails 'to move ltheml into the paths of the upper wheels of thef skip when the actuating arm is swung .by a descending skip, and

meansto lnormallyl hold the operating'arm out vofthe path of thevskip.Y

3. In combination with lthe-main rails of an inclined track for four wheeled skips, an

operating arm adapted to swing into the path of a descending skip, a pair of auxiliary rails adapted to be positioned to extend at an angle to the main rails, connec tions between the operating arm and the auxiliary rails to move them into the paths of the upper wheels of the skip when the actuating arm is swung by a descending skip, a counterweight adapted to hold the operating arm out of the path of the skip,

and manually operable means to move the counterweight to inoperativeV position.

4, In combination with the main rails of an inclined track for wheeled skips, a pair .of auxiliary rails adapted to be positioned to extend in the vertical planes of but at an angle to the main rails to constituteV a new track for the wheels of the skip, and means embodying an arm extending into the path of a descending` skip to move the auxiliary rails to operative position.

5. In combination with the main rails of an inclined track for wheeled skips, a pair of pivotally mounted auxiliary rails adapted to be swung into position to extend in the vertical planes of but at an angle to the main rails, an operating arm extending into the path of a descending skip, and means connecting the arm to the auxiliary rails adapted to swing them into the path of the wheels of the skip when said arm is swung by the ski 6E.) In combination with the main rails of an inclined track for wheeled skips, a pair of pivotally mounted auxiliary rails adapted to swing into position to extend in the vertical plane of but at an angle to the main rails, a shaft extending transversely above the main rails, an arm mounted thereon, a weight to hold the arm elevated out of the path of the skip, manually operable means to render the weight inoperative to permit the arm tov swing into the path of the skip,

and means connecting the arm and auxiliary rails to swing them into operative position to receive the wheels of the skip.

7.v In combination with the main rails of an inclined track for wheeled skips, a pair of auxiliary rails mounted to swing in the vertical planes of the main rails from substantially parallel to said main rails to engagement therewith, an operating arm extending into the path of a descending skip, and means connecting the arm t0 the auxiliary rails adapted to swing them into contact with the main rails to form a new track for the wheels of the skip when said arm is swung by the skip.

CHARLES L. LAWTON. 

